Emotional Stability and Optimism as Core Protective Factors of Subjective Well-Being in Youth Facing Wartime Uncertainty

Abstract: Introduction: This study examined the relationships among the Big Five personality traits, dispositional optimism, Emotional Stability, and subjective well-being in Ukrainian youth experiencing prolonged wartime uncertainty. Methods: A convenience sample of young adults ( N = 161; 84% women; Mage = 22.5, SD = 4.2) completed the TIPI-UKR, the Life Orientation Test–Revised (LOT-R), and the Subjective Well-Being Scale. We used path analysis to examine direct and indirect associations. Results: Subjective well-being was significantly associated with dispositional optimism, Emotional Stability, Openness to Experience, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness, whereas Agreeableness showed no statistically significant association. The path model demonstrated an acceptable fit to the data. Conscientiousness was indirectly associated with subjective well-being only through dispositional optimism, whereas Openness to Experience was indirectly associated with subjective well-being through both dispositional optimism and Emotional Stability. Conclusions: The findings are consistent with the proposed explanatory model and indicate statistical patterns according to which dispositional optimism and Emotional Stability may be regarded as complementary cognitive-motivational and affective resources that underlie the indirect associations between personality traits and subjective well-being. The findings also suggest that the adaptive potential of personality traits is context-dependent under conditions of prolonged wartime uncertainty.